Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 26
Manchester United v Fulham
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
Saturday, 24 February 2024
Kick-off is at 17h00
Manchester United will be targeting five straight wins in the
Premier League for the first time in 13 months when Fulham visit Old Trafford on Saturday, February 24.
The Red Devils held on for a 2-1 victory over Luton at Kenilworth Road on Sunday, February 18 as Rasmus Hojlund scored twice in the opening seven minutes to extend their winning streak to four matches.
Erik ten Hag's side haven't won five on the spin since they beat neighbours Manchester City 2-1 at the Theatre of Dreams on 14 January 2023.
United (6th) closed within three points of Tottenham, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Wolves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, February 17 and saw Aston Villa climb above them into fourth place following a 2-1 triumph over the Cottagers at Craven Cottage.
The West Londoners have only picked up five points from their last five outings, although they had gone unbeaten in three games before losing to the Villans.
Marco Silva's side lost ground to Wolves (11th) and Chelsea (10th) in the quest for a top-10 finish as they trail the two clubs by six points in 12th position.
Bournemouth are one point behind them in 13th spot after their winless run continued with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle at St James' Park.
Image copyright: Getty Images
In team news, United suffered another defensive setback after losing Luke Shaw to injury against the Hatters and he joins Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia (both knee), Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Anthony Martial (groin) and Mason Mount (calf) on the sidelines. Raul Jimenez (thigh) is the only definite absentee for the Cottagers, with Kenny Tete (calf) and Armando Broja (illness) in line to return at Old Trafford.
Hojlund has now scored seven goals in his last six appearances in a Reds shirt and Ten Hag is backing the striker to keep the momentum going.
"We recruited him as he's a strong character. Although he's 21 he can really perform under stress. That's what you need as a Manchester United striker," the Dutchman told Sky Sports.
"He doesn't get nervous or lose confidence when he's not scoring. Once you are in a run, you see it, now he's scoring and he's in. That's how he is now. He has a lot of confidence and I'm sure he'll score more."
Silva felt there was very little that separated them from Villa, but acknowledged they gifted the opposition two easy goals.
"We knew how we should play to get a good result against Villa and, how we conceded the goals, we were too soft," the Portuguese said.
"Against these types of sides in the Premier League, against these types of strikers and forward players, we have to be much stronger and we weren't, unfortunately for us.
"Overall in the game, the looking, the fighting, the desire and believing until the end, I didn't see too many differences between both teams, to be honest.
"Unfortunately we didn't score the chances we got and we were too soft with the goals we conceded. Even so, the players fought until the end. The belief was there, the attitude and the commitment was there as well."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Man United wins - 4
Fulham wins - 0
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 26 fixtures:
Wednesday, February 21
21h30: Liverpool v Luton Town
Saturday, February 24
17h00: Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
17h00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton
17h00: Crystal Palace v Burnley
17h00: Manchester United v Fulham
19h30: Bournemouth v Manchester City
22h00: Arsenal v Newcastle United
Sunday, February 25
15h30: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Monday, February 26
22h00: West Ham United v Brentford
Bet on the Premier League with Betway
Start your sport beting journey with Betway Malawi and enjoy solid action and heart-racing thrills when you
bet on soccer leagues such as the
Spanish La Liga, the
English Premier League, the
Italian Serie A and many more.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions download the
Betway App and start playing on the go!